Breeding the striped eartheater
Substrate spawner: the female lays eggs on a cleaned site and after hatching the young are moved to pits dug in the bottom.
Step by step
Keep a group of 6 and let a pair form, or one male with several females.
A 150 L tank with a sponge or gentle filter, fine sand to sift, a few rocks and open swimming space.
Clean warm water, big regular water changes and varied protein foods.
About 300 eggs per spawning. No hatch time found.
The brooding parent holds eggs and fry, releasing them at about 1 cm; feed newly hatched brine shrimp.
- Coarse or sharp substrate
- Stressing the brooding fish
- Infrequent water changes
Male or female
- Male: Larger, bolder pattern
- Female: Smaller, duller
- Males larger with a hump
Can I breed it in my tank?
- Good for a first breeding project.
Day-by-day plan
Typical for open substrate spawners
- 21 days beforeLet a pair form
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
- Day 0Spawning
The pair cleans the stone and lays rows of eggs. Both guard them.
- Day 3Eggs hatch
Wrigglers hatch in 2–4 days and are moved to pits by the parents.
- Day 7Free swimming
Feed baby brine shrimp several times a day. Parents often herd the fry.
- Day 42Grow-out
Move fry to a grow-out tank before the parents spawn again.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Simulator: guided
Grow up a group and let a pair choose each other. Give them a flat stone or broad leaf.
Simulator: try it yourself
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
- Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.